Certain refrigerator appliances include a dispenser for directing ice from the refrigerator's ice maker and/or liquid water to the dispenser. A user can activate the dispenser to direct a flow of ice or liquid water into a cup or other container positioned within the dispenser. Liquid water directed to the dispenser is generally chilled or at an ambient temperature. However, certain refrigerator appliances also include features for dispensing heated liquid water.
Heated liquid water can be used to make certain beverages, such as coffee or tea. Refrigerators equipped to dispense heated liquid water can assist with making such beverages. However, certain hot drinks, such as cocoa or hot chocolate, are not brewed but rather mixed with heated water to make the hot drink. Brewed hot drinks are generally filtered to contain the leaves or grinds used to brew the hot drink. However, filtering mixed hot drinks is undesirable as filtering can interfere with mixing of the powder with the heated water.
Single serving beverage dispensers utilize pumps to create pressure that drives liquid into and through a chamber. The use of such pumps to drive liquid into and through the chamber during a brew cycle can cause unpredictable liquid flow rate variations, which can lead to unpredictable contact time for the liquid in the single serve dispensers and resulting decreases in beverage quality.
Accordingly, methods and apparatus for dispensing heated water and for controlling a flow rate of liquid to a single serve dispenser would be advantageous. In particular, methods and apparatus for dispensing heated water and for controlling a flow rate of liquid flowed while also assisting with mixing of powdered beverage mix in a single serve beverage dispenser would be useful.